History of a Duelist
by TheChazMan
Summary: The story of one Duelist and his rise to the top. Rated PG-13 for later chapters. Reviews, flames, and OCs Welcome.
1. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: Only gonna say this once; don't own YuGiOh, Duel Monsters, Madison Square Garden or the Taj Mahal... or anything else that you might think of, 'cause I am a BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT. Poop, I can barely afford the computer I'm typing this on, so don't nobody sue me, I'm ain't making any money off of any of this. End of Story. Well... technically this is just the BEGINNING of the story, but... Aw, forget it; you know what I mean!

A/N: Welcome, one and all! This isn't the first major story that I've written, but it is the first I'm hoping to post the entirety of on As you most likely already know, this is a Yugioh fanfic, but what you might not already know is that it probably won't feature any of the characters we know and love from the anime. I plan to mention or make reference to them at some point, but only very rarely will they make any guest appearances. Also, the story is slightly AU, combining both elements from the show with real-life factors from the card game. I also may fudge the rules of the game a little or tweak card effects, but only when it helps make the story more dramatic and I'll always try to mention such changes in an A/N when I do make them.

The Low-Down: This story takes place just after the Battle City arc concludes in Japan. Duel Monsters has become almost as popular in the States as it has in its home country, and there's a tournament being held to determine the #1 Duelist in America. The Regional Qualifiers for the North-East United States are about to take place in New York City, and the public is looking forward to an exciting competition... but as always with the game of Duel Monsters, there are unseen forces at work; some good... and some Evil...

History of a Duelist

Regional Arc

Chapter 1: Lost and Found

"Crud. Now where am I?" Ry Ottulich said aloud. The 21 year-old, 5'9 Montana native was standing on a bustling street corner staring at a colorful mosaic of interwoven lines that supposedly represented the New York City subway system. At the moment it might as well have been a picture of a squirrel, because he had absolutely no idea what any of it meant. He looked down at the Kaibacorp Duel Disk strapped on his left forearm. _At this rate I'm not gonna even get a chance to use this thing._

He took a moment to mentally run through the events of the past two months. Living in his home state he had always thought of himself as a decent duelist, but he'd never bothered entering any tournaments other than the one at the local card shop. After his parents had both gotten job offers in upstate New York and moved there, he had found some new circles to play in. It quickly became apparent that he wasn't a decent duelist: he was exceptional. He never bothered keeping track of his win/loss record before, but since moving to NY and beginning play in the official US Rankings, he now stood at 45-0, with half a dozen local tournament titles under his belt. His last victory, that of State Champion, had earned him the right to compete in the Regional Qualifiers for this year's US Championship.

Ry pulled a wristwatch that usually went on his dueling arm from the pocket of his blue jeans and glanced at it in irritation. _If I don't make it to the tournament before registration ends..._ He looked around in desperation and spotted a woman who looked to be about in her mid-thirties walking towards him. He slipped the watch back into its pocket and subconsciously smoothed the red pullover shirt he was wearing.

"Um, excuse me Miss," he addressed her, trying to be as polite as possible, "You wouldn't happen to know how to get to Madison Square Garden from here, would you?" The woman smiled and pointed down the subway entrance.

"Head right down there and catch the No. 6 train from platform two. Ride it three stops and get off, you'll be about two blocks north of the Garden," she answered. Ry's face lit up in a broad smile.

"Thank you! Thank you very much!" He waved a curt goodbye to the woman and bolted for the stairs leading down into the subway, leaping over the last seven and landing in a crouch. He jogged forward a little and swiped his recently bought fare card to get into the platform hub. He quickly located platform 2 and once again started the waiting game. By the electronic display on the wall he saw that he had five minutes until the next train.

"Hey!" a young voice yelled from behind him. He turned and found a young boy, maybe 14 or so, pointing at him. "You a duelist?" the lad asked.

"Uh... yeah," Ry answered hesitantly, hefting the device on his arm. Was this kid going to challenge him to a duel? _I don't have time for-_

"There's a duel going on over at platform 9, and they're using Duel Disks! You gotta come check it out!" With that the boy turned and sprinted off, joining a small group of other kids his age, all running in the same direction.

"A duel, huh?" Ry smiled. He'd never actually seen a match using Duel Disks before; being as expensive as they were only the very richest or most-skilled duelists used them. He'd put in a lot of overtime to afford the device he now wore. _Seeing them in action before the tourney might be a good idea._ He stepped forward to follow the running kids but stopped dead, mentally slapping himself. _Aw man, I can't leave now, I'll miss the train!_ He turned back to the platform and continued waiting. From somewhere down the hub, he heard what he knew had to be the computer generated roars of duel monsters, and then a brief round of cheering applause.

"Then again," he said out loud, glancing at the wall display, "it couldn't hurt if I just watched for a minute or two." He smiled again broadly, turning and running off towards platform 9. "Subway duel, here I come!"

He found the correct platform easily, but when he got there he found his way blocked by a throng of onlookers. He stood up on his toes trying to see over the crowd. _Man, I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be short?_ Hoping it wasn't going to anger anyone, he began pushing his way though the mob, apologizing as he went, trying to get a better view. He could hear the two duelists speaking in voices muffled by the mumbling of the crowd, one female and one male, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He was almost to the front when he heard the first clear statement.

"Now, Gemini Elf, attack his life points directly!" the female voice called out. There was a sound of what could only be a monster rushing forwards, followed by a short yelp from the male duelist, and the shimmering sound of holographic generators shutting down. Another round of applause broke out just as Ry pushed his way to the front of the crowd. His shoulders slumped in resignation just as the watched the last remnants of whatever cards had just been on the field fade away, along with a rapidly dispersing crowd.

"Man, I just can't win," he said. He was just about to turn away when the duelist closest to him, the woman, caught his eye. She was still standing with her back to him, though she had walked over to her opponent and was shaking his hand.

"Nice duel," Ry heard her say, "You really put up a fight." The other man laughed slightly.

"Six turns? You call that putting up a fight?" he asked.

"Hey, don't feel bad; everybody has a bad duel sometimes." She said cheerily as she turned and began walking away. "See you around!" She only got a few steps before she found herself face to face with another man wearing a Duel Disk. She smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Do I have another challenger already?" She stood about 6'1, had a slender build and short but curly auburn hair. She was dressed in blue sneakers, faded jeans and a bright yellow t-shirt that left her midsection exposed. The Duel Disk on her arm looked almost like it would have been too heavy for her delicate figure. Needless to say, Ry was more than a little dumbfounded. "What's the matter, you never seen a girl with a Duel Disk before?"

"Uh, yeah... I mean no, I haven't but... well, I'd love to challenge you to a duel, but I've got to..." he trailed off as he remembered the reason for his being there in the first place. "Oh, crap! Er, sorry, but I gotta run!" He backpedaled several steps before turning and sprinting back towards platform 2. The female duelist cocked her head, a bemused look on her face. Ry stopped about two dozen steps away and turned. "It was nice meeting you!" he yelled back before resuming his mad dash. He managed to make it back to platform 2 just in time to see the subway train pulling away from the station.

"Hey, wait!" he called out, knowing full well it was pointless. The car picked up speed and zipped off down the tunnel, taking the last hope he had of getting to the Regionals on time with it. He sighed heavily. _It's a sign. I know it is. Maybe I should just call it quits and be happy with being State Champion._ He turned around only to find himself once again face-to-face with the auburn-haired duelist. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot, still wearing a faint smile. Ry opened his mouth to tell her again he had to go, but stopped himself. _Aw, what the heck, maybe a little action will make me feel better._ He took a few steps back and pressed the button his Duel Disk that caused it to shift into dueling mode.

"Okay, if it's a duel you want-"

"You're going to the tournament at MSG, aren't you?" she asked suddenly. Ry shrugged.

"I was. It's too late to get there now, the next train won't be by for another twenty minutes," he said, nodding at the electronic display on the wall. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't want to duel, do you?" She smiled at him and shook her head, motioning for him to follow her.

"C'mon, I'm headed there too, and I know another way." She turned and headed off the platform. Ry raised an eyebrow at her from behind, snapping his Duel Disk back into standby mode.

"Um..." he started to speak. The girl turned around at the end of the platform and stared at him.

"Well? What're you waiting for? I said c'mon!" she called back. Snapping to his senses, Ry jogged forward and the two headed out of the subway. "First time in the Big Apple, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ry answered, still a little nervous but rapidly growing more comfortable around her. "I just moved upstate from Montana a couple months ago." The two emerged back onto the street and the girl began walking down the block. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but how are we gonna get to the Garden from here?" The redhead smiled and reached into her pocket, producing a set of keys and pointing them at a car parked by the curb.

"That's how." Ry watched as she pushed a button on her keychain and unlocked the doors of a bright yellow Ford Focus Z3 that matched her shirt impeccably. She stepped to the driver side door and opened it, motioning for him to go around to the other side. "C'mon slowpoke, we're not gonna make it to the tournament if you keep dragging you feet!" she chided him. Ry hurried over and waited for the traffic to clear before climbing into the car himself.

"Sorry. Hey, I'm Ry Ottulich, by the way," he said. She reached over and shook the hand that he offered.

"Name's Melanie Hansen. Nice to meetcha!" she said cheerfully. Ry nodded. _Damn, she's a happy one._

"Are you sure we're gonna be able to get there on time this way? I mean I heard New York traffic was really bad. The only place I can think of that's worse is Los Angeles," he joked. Melanie smiled broadly.

"Well then, you're in luck, Ry Ottulich," she said, pulling off her Duel Disk and setting it on the back seat. "I just happen to be from Los Angeles!" She slipped the key into the ignition and turned it, pulling her seatbelt on with the other hand. She looked out at the passing traffic briefly, before looking at him and winking. "Buckle up!"

Ry swallowed hard. _Why do I suddenly have the feeling that I'm not gonna make it to the tournament after all?_

A/N: Well folks, that's the first chapter! Sorry we didn't get to see any duels this time around; I promise you one next time! Please read and review, and know that I'm always on the lookout for OCs, either just characters or characters w/ decks, if you can think it up then I bet I can fit it in!

Next Chapter: The Regional Championships; Round One


	2. Thrown Right In

Disclaimer: Still don't own Yugioh; still not makin' any money off this...

History of a Duelist

Regional Arc

Chapter 2: Thrown Right In

"Look out!" the security guard directing cars into the MSG parking garage shouted as he was forced to jump out of the way of a speeding, yellow Ford that zipped inside. It turned sharply, tires squealing, and broke hard as it slid into a rather tight parking space. The driver-side door opened and Melanie stepped out, a sheepish grin on her face.

"Oops! Sorry about that!" she called to the security guard. The passenger door opened and Ry unceremoniously stumbled out, leaning with his hands on his knees and breathing hard. Melanie looked over at him. "You ok there buddy?" Ry nodded shakily.

"I will be, as soon as my heart stops pounding!" he exclaimed. "What were you thinking cutting front of that car like that?!" Melanie gave an indignant snort.

"Pff, which one?" she said casually as she shut her door and locked it with the remote. Ry shook his head in amazement and stood up as the rather disgruntled security guard walked up and stood in front of their parking space.

"You can't park that here Miss! These spaces are reserved for-"

"Duelists entering the competition, yeah, yeah, I know the routine," Melanie interrupted him. She stuck a thumb in Ry's direction. "There's your Duelist, right there." Ry waved to the guard awkwardly.

"Uh, hi." The guard scratched his head.

"Well, all right... but don't let me catch you causing anymore trouble; and drive slower when you leave!" With that he turned and walked off, none too pleased. Melanie grinned widely and waved at his back.

"Ok, thank you very much, Mr. Guard!" she said, her voice beaming with excitement. She turned back to her newest companion. "C'mon, we've only got a couple of minutes to get you registered!" She started off down the long row of cars, and Ry joined her quickly.

---------------------------

A few minutes later Melanie and Ry were standing at the end of a short line of other duelists, waiting their turn to register. Glancing around, Ry saw that almost all of the competitors he could single out were wearing Duel Disks. _Good thing I decided to get one... I'd look pretty stupid trying to fight against holographic monsters with laminated cardboard._ He suddenly realized that Melanie had left both her Disk and deck in the car.

"Hey, aren't you going to need your cards?" he asked. The girl smiled down at him.

"I don't need to enter; I've already qualified for the US Tournament. You're looking at the California State and West-coast Regional Champion," she answered, her blue eyes sparkling with a hint of pride. Ry's mouth dropped open.

"Wow, you must be good... but if you're already in, why are you here?" he asked. Melanie's wide smile softened. She turned and gazed out into the street through the large plate-glass window behind them, as if remembering something.

"I'm here to see a friend," she said plainly. Ry was about to ask who, but while they had been talking the line in front of them had disappeared, making him next. Sticking the odd conversation at the back of his mind for later, he walked up to the registration table.

"Name, please?" the young blonde woman behind the table asked.

"Ry Ottulich." As soon as she heard his name the girl looked him up and down and smiled.

"So you're Ry Ottulich? We've been waiting for you." Ry blinked.

"You have?"

"Of course," she answered, "You're State Champion; you and the winners from the other seven states in the North-East region are guaranteed a spot in today's main event." She glanced down at her watch. "You might want to hurry in though, I think they're about to start. It's down that way and to your right," she pointed with one arm, handing him a Duelist ID card with the other, "through the big double doors that say 'competitors only'. You can't miss it." Ry thanked her and took off down the hallway, Melanie close behind. He found the door easily enough, and the security guard stepped aside to let him though when he flashed his new card, but put a hand up to block Melanie's way.

"Duelists only beyond this point, Miss." The auburn-haired girl put her hands on her hips and scowled at the men.

"Hey! I'm with him!" she protested. "Tell him, Ry!" The NY Champion nodded.

"Yeah, she's-"

"I'm his Manager!" Melanie cut him off. Ry raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're my _what_?" he whispered.

"Just play along!" she whispered right back, "besides, you owe me one for getting you here on time!"

"Oh, my apologies," the guard said, standing aside and opening the door for them. "Please, go right ahead." Melanie flashed the man a smile as they stepped inside.

"I'm amazed that that even worked," Ry said after the door closed behind them, leaving them in a long concrete corridor with a series of signs that each read 'Duelist locker rooms', and had arrows underneath. He looked up at Melanie as they walked. "Do duelists really have Managers?" The girl shrugged.

"Darned if I know, but it got us inside!" she said, winking. Ry hung his head. _She's insane,_ he thought. _My new 'Manager' is a hyperactive, psycho-driving nutcase._

"So what did that girl mean by the 'main event'? I thought there was only one tournament going on today." he asked as they neared the locker rooms. Melanie looked over at him in surprise.

"You mean you really don't know?" she exclaimed, "Jeeze, for a State Champ you're sure out of the loop, huh? Well, the way it works is like this-" She was cut off in mid sentence as a PA box just above the locker room doors turned on, squealing loudly for a moment before a voice came through.

"Would the New York State Champion, Ry Ottulich, please report to the main floor, you are needed for the first match of the Regional Finals. Again, would Ry Ottulich please come to the main floor," an announcer said. Ry's face went white.

"WHAT?!? Already?" he exclaimed. "I'm dueling already? I just got here!" Melanie pointed toward the end of the hall opposite the one they'd entered.

"Well the main stage is that way; you better get going!" she said. Ry nodded and darted off in that direction, yelling back as he went.

"Alright, I'll see you a little later, ok? You going to be all right by yourself?"

"Of course!" she yelled back. "Don't worry about me, focus on your match! Good luck!" He waved back one last time as he disappeared though another set of double doors. Melanie's smile faded once he was gone. "Poor kid... I wonder if he even knows what he's in for?"

------------------------------------

As soon as he stepped through the door, he found himself inside one of the dark concrete entryways into the main arena. He could hear the telltale sounds of what seemed like a very large crowd, though his view of the actual stands was blocked. A man wearing a radio headset and black clothing slipped around the corner and approached him.

"Are you Ry Ottulich?" Ry opened his mouth to reply but was cut off. "Good," the man said, pressing a button on the radio on his hip. "I've got him, start the intro." He turned back to Ry and took hold of his shoulder, pulling him towards the arena. Come on and follow me; your match is about to start."

"Hey! Wait a second!" the black-haired duelist protested as he was pulled along, "Who am I facing?" He heard the Garden's sound system kick in and the same announcer began to talk to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your Hometown Hero, the NY State Champion, Ry Ottulich!" The stagehand gave Ry a gentle push forward.

"Don't worry; the other guy's already out there, just go!" The second he stumbled out into the open, a bright spotlight was beamed down on him. He was temporarily blinded, but that didn't stop him from hearing the thunderous greeting the crowd was giving him. When his eyes adjusted he almost panicked.

"Holy... crap." The stands were literally packed with thousands of eager Duel Monsters fans, all shouting and cheering. The sound was thunderous to the point where Ry swore he could feel a tremor pass through the ground. He swallowed hard and smiled awkwardly. He had never been very good in front of crowds; and this was the mother of them all. He waved hesitantly at the crowd, and almost jumped at the sudden renewal of applause the action brought. _Ok,_ he thought to himself, trying to calm himself down. _Focus on the match; one foot in front of the other._ He took a deep breath squared his shoulders before taking the first stride towards the raised stage at the center of the arena. As he climbed the stairs onto it, he saw a tall, pale-skinned man, several years older then himself, standing on the opposite side. He was dressed entirely in black and wore a long dark coat the hung just off the floor. Ry nodded to him as he took his place. The man didn't return the gesture. The announcer's voice came through the speakers once again.

"And now, without further ado, the American League of Duelists presents the first match of the North-East Regional Quarterfinals! New York Champion Ry Ottulich vs. Connecticut Champion, Dais!" The crowd erupted into another round of applause as a balding man in a referee's uniform stepped onto the platform and motioned for the two duelists to approach.

"Now," the ref said when they were all center stage, "you're both state champions, so I expect you to both play this like professionals. Shake hands, please." Ry extended his hand shook the slightly clammy palm that Dais put forward.

"Nice to meet you, Dais. I'm Ry." The darkly-shrouded man said nothing, staring at him levelly. Ry frowned slightly. _Damn, he's got some freaky eyes._ The ref nodded.

"All right, back to your corners now." Ry didn't know why, but as he walked to his side of the platform he felt like Dais' gaze was still on him, even though he knew the duelist had his back turned. He shook the feeling away and activated his Duel Disk, pulling his deck out of his back pocket and holding it up. _Here we go, _he thought, kissing the top card for luck before sliding it into its slot. His LP counter started counting up, but he did a double take when it stopped halfway.

"4000 life points? What's the deal?" he asked, looking at the ref, who opened his mouth to answer but was cut off.

"That's what happens when you don't show up on time," Dais said, his voice an unnerving, flat tone, "They announced this to all the Regional competitors. Since there are seven matches that must take place in this tournament, for the sake of time we will be competing with half the normal amount of life points." As he spoke he drew his opening hand, looking at each card individually. "To make up for this, the banned card list has been suspended." Ry gulped as he drew his first five cards. _Now I really wish I HAD shown up on time... my deck is built to comply with the ban!_ It was bad enough to only have 4000 LPs, but the match hadn't even begun and he was already at a disadvantage.

"Um, mind if I go first?" he asked, grinning sheepishly. Dais ignored the request and drew a card, stealing the first move for himself.

"Actually, yes." He picked a card out of his hand and set it on his Duel Disk. "I summon a monster face down in defense mode," the brown-backed card appeared in front of him on the field, "and I end my turn." Ry drew and mentally sighed in relief. _That could've been worse._

"Ok, let's get this party started!" he said, slapping down a monster. "I summon Dark Blade (1800/1500) in attack mode!" A knight wearing black, spiked armor and wielding two curved swords appeared on the field. Ry nodded appreciatively at the hologram, remembering again that this was his first time using a Duel Disk. "Cool. Now I'll attack your facedown monster!" The knight leaped into the air, and Dais' monster, a purplish-blackish blob, materialized for the attack. The Dark Blade's twin weapons cleaved the thing in twain, utterly destroying it.

"Good. You destroyed my Giant Germ," Dais said, taking his deck out of its slot and looking through it. "Now thanks to its special effect, I can summon all the rest of my Giant Germs to the field." He placed the two cards down gently and they appeared (1000/100), this time in attack position. "In addition, for destroying my creature, you take 500 points of damage." (Ry: 3500, Dais: 4000) Ry grimaced at the turn of events.

"Alright then, I set two cards facedown," he slid the two cards into his Duel Disk and they appeared hovering in front of him, "and end my turn." _Maybe I can still slow him down a little._ Dais drew and nodded.

"I set a card facedown, and sacrifice my Giant Germs to summon Despair From The Dark (2800/3000) in attack mode." The two germs evaporated away and a massive, ghostly beast formed in their place, towering several meters into the air. Ry smiled and pressed a switch on his Duel Disk.

"You've activated my Trap Hole!" one of his facedown cards flipped up, and a massive chasm opened beneath Dais' monster, sucking it down into oblivion. "This card destroys any monster you normal summon that has more than 1000 attack points!" To Ry's surprise, Dais chuckled softly.

"You're making this too easy," he said, pressing a button on his Disk. "I activate A Deal With Dark Ruler!" His card flipped up, showing a man in a trench coat facing a large, green-skinned demon. "Since I've lost an 8th level creature, this card lets me summon my most powerful monster!" A card halfway down in his deck popped out so he could take hold of it, and Dais placed it precisely on the field. The stage on his side of the field appeared to crack open, and a massive black claw reached out, grabbing the edge of the hole and pulling the rest of the beast free. Ry fought the urge to take a step back as a gigantic, skeletal dragon poised itself on Dais' field and screeched loudly. "I'd like you to meet my favorite pet, the Berserk Dragon! (3500/0) This monster can attack ALL of the monsters on your field, and since I haven't conducted my battle phase yet, I think I'll start right now!" The zombie dragon roared again and snapped its head forward, locking massive jaws around Ry's Dark Blade and shattering it instantly. (Ry: 1800, Dais: 4000) Across the field, what might've passed for a smile crossed Dais' features. "The only side effect to my ultimate beast is that he loses 500 attack points at the end of each of my turns, but that doesn't matter." He ended his turn with a nod. "Are you ready to give up and save us both some time?" Ry frowned as he drew his next card.

"The fat lady isn't singing yet, Dais." He looked over the cards in his hand and selected one. _Hope this works..._ "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode!" Another warrior appeared on the field wielding twin swords, though this time he was wearing simple steel plate mail and had a long red cape. Dais looked on impassively. Ry selected another card from his hand. "My Captain has a neat special ability: when he's summoned I can automatically summon another level 4 or lower monster from my hand. So I summon Command Knight (1200/1900) is attack mode as well!" A golden-haired woman wearing brown and red armor materialized and drew her sword. "Her special ability gives all warrior-type monsters a 400 point boost to their attack." The powers of his monsters changed accordingly, both rising to 1600. "And now I'll end my turn." Dais raised an eyebrow and drew.

"Far be it from me to pass up the opportunity, but do you realize what you've just done? My Dragon's special ability will let me attack and destroy both of your monsters, taking away the rest of your life points in the process." Dais smirked. "NY must have some pretty pathetic duelists if you're the champion." Ry said nothing. "Very well then, let's end this; Berserk Dragon, attack all of his monsters!" The black skeletal dragon opened its wide maw and screeched, the sound reverberating in everyone's ears painfully, but to Dais' surprise, it made no move to attack. "What? What's going on? Dragon! Attack!" Again, the dragon did nothing.

"Maybe the duelists from CN aren't so hot either," Ry said, smiling for the first time since the match began. "Don't you know about my monsters' other special abilities?" He pointed at his field. "Command Knight cannot be selected at the target of an attack as long as I have another monster on the field, and Marauding Captain's ability says that as long as he's around, you can't attack any monster other than him." Dais frowned.

"So I can't use my monster's ability to attack all your cards," he reasoned, "but I can still declare a single attack! So my Dragon will wipe out your Marauding Captain!" the Berserk Dragon whipped its head forward once again, snapping up the armored warrior and shattering him. (Ry: 400, Dais: 4000) "I set one card facedown. I suggest you make your next turn count; it's your last." He nodded to the referee, ending his turn. Ry drew and smiled as the Berserk Dragon's attack points dropped by another 500 points. (2500/0)

"Is it? Oh, well, I guess I'll have to start playing for real then." Dais actually laughed out loud.

"Let me give you a piece of advice. Never play poker, your bluff is terrible." Ry set another card facedown and then picked up his Command Knight and fed it to his graveyard, causing the hologram on his field to disintegrate.

"Sorry buddy, but Ry Ottulich never bluffs. I sacrifice my Command Knight to summon Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500) in attack mode, but thanks to his ability, he's automatically switched to defense mode as soon as he's summoned, allowing me to effectively play him in face-up defense position." A massive warrior wearing a red cape and spiked steel shoulder pads materialized, crouching down behind a giant shield. He wielded a large sword and had several more just like it strapped to his back. Dais grimaced.

"So you've protected your life points for another turn. Dragging this out is only going to make it more humiliating in the end." He reached for his deck to draw but Ry shook his head.

"I never said I was done, slappy. My Shogun is gonna wipe out your Dragon."

"Hardly. I know your monster can attack while it's in defense mode, but its attack is far too low. The only thing you'll be wiping out is yourself." Ry smiled and picked a card from his hand, sliding it into this Duel Disk and pressing the button to activate it.

"That's not what my Shield & Sword magic card says." Dais' eyes went wide as a green card appeared with the field facing him with a picture of an armored statue and two colored circles labeled 'attack' and 'defense' flanked by arrows. "What my card DOES say is that for this turn the ATK and DEF of all face up monsters on the field are switched." The monster holograms shimmered slightly as their values changed. Dais blanched as his Dragon's attack dropped to nothing. "Now, get ready to lose your pet and a good chunk of your life points. Defense Shogun, attack his Dragon!" The crouching warrior hefted his massive sword with one hand and threw it, spinning end over end, straight into the chest of Dais' Berserk Dragon. It let out one last piercing shriek and blew apart. (Ry: 400, Dais: 1500) Ry crossed his arms. "I told you I never bluff." Dais pressed a button on his Duel Disk and frowned.

"Maybe not, but what you did do was forget about my facedown card. I activate another copy of A Deal With Dark Ruler! Since my Berserk Dragon was an 8th level monster as well, I can now summon another one to replace it!" The ground shuddered and the earlier scene repeated as another skeletal monster rose from the ground, shrieking like its brother before it. "And this Dragon is once again at full power!" (3500/0) Across the field, Ry shrugged as if he didn't care.

"You really are a once-horse town, aren't you? Fine then, I guess I'll just end my turn." Dais grinned evilly and drew a card.

"I activate the magic card Book Of Life! This lets me revive one zombie-type monster from my graveyard and remove one monster in yours from the game!" Ry's graveyard whirred and out came his Dark Blade, which he took and slipped into his pants pocket without protest. "And the card I revive will be my Despair From The Dark!" The ghostly image of his monster wafted out of his graveyard and formed on the field (2800/3000) next to his Berserk Dragon. "Either of my monsters can eradicate your Shogun! Go, Despair From The Dark, destroy him!" The shadowy form shot forward, emitting a ghostly moan as it attacked. Ry shook his head in disappointment.

"All that talk about me forgetting about your facedown card and what do you do?" he asked as he pressed a button on his Disk. "You go and do the same thing with mine. Activate, Physical Double!" Ry's single facedown card stood up, revealing the purple hue of a trap and the image of a green lizard flanked by a grayish slime creature that looked almost exactly like it. "This card lets me summon a Mirage Token that has the exact same attributes and powers as one of the monsters on your side of the field, so I choose your Berserk Dragon!" The Trap card shot out a small blob of Gray slime that landed on Ry's field and began to grow rapidly. When it finished it looked exactly like Dais' monster, but with a sickly gray hue instead of dark black (3500/0). "And that's not all folks! I activate my other facedown card, Shift! This little guy lets me redirect one of your attacks to another target, so your Despair From The Dark is now headed straight into my Mirage Token!" Dais gritted his teeth.

"It's too late to call back my attack," he said, watching his monster crash headlong into the grey dragon and be cut down by one swipe of it's claws. (Ry: 400, Dais: 800) "And attacking your token would only destroy my Dragon as well, but since Physical Double only lasts for one turn, it will be gone soon anyway. So, I'll have my beast attack your Shogun and wipe it off the field!" The Berserk Dragon reared up and lashed out with its clawed hand, slicing apart the Shogun's shield and destroying it. Dais smirked and ended his turn with a nod, causing the Mirage Token to shudder and collapse into a pile of gray slime, and causing his Dragon's attack power to drop (3000/0). "Now you have no monsters left."

"That's about to change in a very big way," the Montana native said as he looked at his freshly drawn card, "but first I need a few things, so I'll set one card facedown, and play Reinforcement Of The Army! This card lets me search my deck for one level 4 or lower warrior-type and add it to my hand." He took out his deck and shifted though it, selecting a card and shuffling it before sliding it back into place. "Now that that's over with, I play The Warrior Returning Alive! Like my last card, this one lets me take a warrior-type monster into my hand, but this one comes from my graveyard." His Disk spat out the card he wanted and he took it. Dais began tapping his foot.

"I still don't see any monsters." Ry smiled back at him.

"I was just getting to that, actually. I summon the card I just took back from my graveyard, Marauding Captain!" The twin-bladed warrior appeared on his field, as good as new. "And once again, his special ability kicks in, so I summon the card I searched my deck for, my second Command Knight!" Another familiar monster appeared, drawing her sword and simultaneously raising both monsters' attack power to 1600. Dais frowned.

"You were calling _me_ a one-horse town? You've tried this trick already, and it won't work a second time. You don't have enough life points." Ry slid another card into his Duel Disk and activated it.

"I'm not done yet. Activate Tribute Doll!" A magic card featuring a gray puppet nailed to a wooden backing appeared. "To activate this card I must sacrifice a monster, so I'll send Marauding Captain back to the graveyard." His monster shattered and the pieces were sucked up into his graveyard slot. "and now I can special summon a level seven monster from my hand," he slapped a card down, "meet one of MY favorite monsters, Buster Blader!" There was a bright flash of light and when it faded, standing on the field was a heavily armored warrior wielding a massive jeweled blade (3000/2300). Dais' worries faded away as he looked on.

"You idiot. You were counting on your Buster Blader's special ability of gaining 500 attack points for every dragon-type monster on my field and graveyard to destroy me, weren't you?" He smiled once again. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but in that respect my monster is rather poorly named. Berserk Dragon is actually a zombie-type monster. And aside from that, you can't attack this turn as per the requirements of Tribute Doll, so end your turn!" Ry nodded but said nothing. Dais drew and smiled.

"This is the end for you. I play Violet Crystal; whish raises my Dragon's attack and defense power by 300! (3300/300) Destroy his Buster Blader!" His beast lunged forward, only to crash into a glowing green barrier and stumble back. "What?!" Dais asked in disbelief. Ry motioned to his Duel Disk.

"There you go again! Don't you ever look at a person's Magic/Trap zone before you attack? You activated my Draining Shield card. This negates your monster's attack and adds its attack points to my life points. (Ry: 3700, Dais: 800) Dais grimaced, realizing what that meant.

"No... when I end my turn, my monster will lose 500 more points, making it weaker than your Buster Blader... you'll destroy it." He smiled inwardly. "That doesn't mean I'm beaten yet. I set one card facedown and a monster in defense mode." The cards appeared floating over his field. "End turn." His Dragon's attack power dropped accordingly. (2800/0) Ry drew and nodded.

"Goodie. I was hoping I'd get to do this." He looked up at Dais. "Sorry CN Champ, but this Duel is over. I play my favorite card combo, Nobleman of Extermination and Nobleman of Crossout!" The two cards appeared on his field as he activated them, spawning forth a pair of armored men, one silver and one purple. "First, my Nobleman of Extermination will destroy your facedown Magic or Trap card and remove it from play." The purple knight leaped across the field and stabbed his sword through the floating facedown card, holding it up for all to see. Ry smiled again. "Ah, Waboku. Since your card turned out to be a trap, we both have to take all copies of that card from our decks and remove them from play as well." Dais frowned and took the two copies that his deck automatically spat out and slipped them into his pocket alongside the one from his field. Ry continued. "Now, my Nobleman of Crossout will do the same to your facedown monster!" The other knight dashed forward and impaled the monster, which turned out to be a Sinister Serpent (300/250). Dais picked up that card and slid it into his pocket, knowing full well what was coming next. "Buster Blader, finish off his monster!" Ry called out. The armored dragon slayer hefted his sword and brought it down on the Berserk Dragon's shoulder, slicing through it cleanly. (Ry: 3700, Dais: 500) Dais frowned. He reached over and reluctantly put his hand over his deck. He had no cards left to defend himself, and Ry's Command Knight was free to attack.

"I... I surrender," he said softly. The holographic monsters faded away, leaving the two competitors alone on the platform except for the referee, who walked over to Ry and took hold of his left hand, raising it into the air. The announcer's voice boomed through the stadium.

"Winner: NYS Champion Ry Ottulich!" the crowd erupted into another thunderous explosion of cheering, startling Ry and reminding him that he had an audience. _Damn,_ he thought to himself as Dais walked slowly down the stairs on his side of the platform and made a quiet exit, _and I thought holographic monsters were going to take getting used to._

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High above, in one of Madison Square Garden's most expensive VIP Boxes, a woman with bright red hair and wearing a dark business suit looked down at the victorious Ry Ottulich.

"How interesting," she mused aloud, "The boy appears to have some skill after all." She reached into her inside pocket and pulled out a cell phone, hitting speed dial and putting it to her ear. "Yes, this is Ms. Coltrane. Put me through to _his_ office." She smiled as she watch Ry leave the arena. "There are some... events I must relate to him."

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A/N: BLAH! Ok, that took way longer than I anticipated to get done. Between schoolwork (face it kids: College SUX!) and about a bazillion other things, it looks like this story is gonna be updated once a week if I'm VERY lucky. Thanks to you dudes (dudettes?) who reviewed; I apologize to Dais for making your dude lose, (trust me; we haven't seen the last of him!) and I gotta send a big thanks out to Wolf General for offering the use of his characters. Y'all should definitely check out his story, 'Demon Duelist Legacy', if you haven't already.

I realize I didn't say this before, and I'm gonna say it now to clear some stuff up: the banned card list I talk about is the same as the one used in the Advanced Format in the real card game; you can check out the main Yugioh website if you want to know what's on it. I personally like the Ban, but for purposes of this story most of the time it won't be in effect. Also the Regional divisions you see here are pretty much completely made up. Any similarity to actual card game rules, active or inactive, is completely coincidental. See you next time! REVIEW, DARNIT! :O –Chaz

Next Chapter: The Regional Semi-Finals: Dragonfest '04 (Also, you'll get to meet ME! Well, kinda... sorta... not really... aw, heck, you'll figure it out!)


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